The book is based on the lectures read to the students of machine- building secondary schools and also on the foundry practice course included in the curriculum of the Bauman Higher Technical School of Moscow.

The book opens with a detailed description of sand molding techno­ logy, melting, pouring, and fettling of castings from gray iron which is one of the most widely used casting alloys. Subsequent chapters treat the methods of fabrication of castings from malleable iron, steels, and alloys of copper, aluminum, and magnesium. One part of the book places a particular emphasis on the theory of casting. The last part which includes several chapters contains basic infor­ mation on special casting processes such as permanent mold casting, die casting, investment casting, and shell casting. The authors have paid special attention to the sequential presentation of various as­ pects of founding in a clear and readable language.

Each chapter first describes the essence of production processes, the influence of operating conditions on the quality of castings, and then presents the rational fields of application of the production methods. In the authors’ opinion, such a presentation of the mate­ rial helps the reader to acquire more readily the basic knowledge of foundry practice.